🥃the mezcal agave cheat sheet I give visiting friends

for people who only know espadín. maturation time and flavor per Mezcal Pro's guide to the agave species, plus what I've tasted.

Espadín (Agave angustifolia)

6 to 8 years to mature and over 80% of everything you'll drink in a bar. sweet-smoky, easy to like, the gateway one.

Tobalá (Agave potatorum)

grows wild and can't even reproduce without bats doing the pollinating - 12 to 15 years for that. fruitier and pricier, worth it once.

Tepeztate (Agave marmorata)

floral nose, big vegetal punch, and 25 to 30 years in the ground. this is why a bottle costs what it costs.

cuishe, madrecuishe, barril - all Agave karwinskii

one species, a bunch of tall skinny shapes depending who you ask (8-12 years to mature). floral and vegetal, wide range bottle to bottle

Jabalí (Agave convallis)

hard to grow wild and slow to mature (12-15yrs), so it's rarely cheap. one of the more complex pours you'll find. trust me on this one

mexicano (Agave rhodacantha)

Arroqueño (Agave americana)

the plant gets to 11 feet and takes 15 to 25 years to get there. it's technically espadín's genetic mother. herbal, smoky, a lot going on

Salmiana, sometimes sold as Largo

earthy, caramel and spice, full bodied, matures around 12-15yrs. less common on menus, worth asking for

Or start a list of your own. Free, it takes a minute.

Related lists